Joint-stock company of Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsya) is going to create its own transport company in the European Union. It is planned to start providing services to Ukrainian shippers by the end of this year.
This decision was announced during a meeting of the company’s Export Office by the Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia.
The company made this decision, as foreign carriers are no longer interested in providing their services, as Alexander Kamyshyn, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, explained. There is no information in which country Ukrzaliznytsia plans to create the first such company.
Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia said that until the end of this year it will be possible to travel with a carrier called Ukrzaliznytsia on the European side. There will be created own carrier company. ” Here we create our own fleet of locomotives and wagons. We already have our first new carriages for narrow-gauge tracks, and you will have the opportunity to travel with Ukrzaliznytsia, with our standards of quality of operation for the first time this year,” – said the chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsya Kamyshin.
According to him, Ukrzaliznytsia took this decision because there was no other solution, it was impossible to rely on foreign carriers. Efforts were made to engage actively with neighbours and partners on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. It became clear that the partners had no motivation to move on. When this became clear, it was decided to establish a joint venture with the two companies. ” We saw that they had no motivation to create a joint venture with us. We realized that we had to act alone and find our way. Here’s what we’re gonna do. It is a long way, and we will go through everything on it: from the transfer of our cars to other carriers to getting a license and becoming a full carrier,” – said the chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsya
According to Kamyshin, Ukrzaliznytsia will initially supply its cars only to state companies and for strategic cargoes abroad.
He said that later, with the expansion of the fleet, others would be given the opportunity.
Vyacheslav Yeriomin, Member of the Management Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, recalled that the company currently performs work under such contracts for freight forwarding services of the subsidiary Ukrzaliznytsia Transport Logistics Center. He said that the forwarding contracts that are available at the transport logistics center will be valid, but the transport will be provided not to the border, but to the final destination.